How To Cook Grass-Fed Steak in Cast Iron

Dinner, Simple Food, Whole Foods From Scratch

how to cook grass-fed steak in a cast iron skillet

When you go through the trouble of buying or raising grass-fed beef for the health benefits, it's important to know how to cook it for the best, tender experience.

Because we make the extra effort to provide the best possible meat for our family, it's essential to know how to properly prepare it: how to cook grass-fed steak in a cast iron skillet. Grass-fed beef is where it's at for us. It's taken me awhile to figure out how to prepare it so that we could enjoy it without the result of permanent jaw damage. Who wants to chew on each bite of meat 249 times, or just swallow it because you give up the fight? Let me save you the pain, money, and heartache, Dear One!

seared steak how to cook grass-fed steak cast iron skillet cooking

What Makes Grass-Fed Beef Different?

For one, the cows are fed a grass-only diet—no grain. This means these cows are leaner, not as much fat. Fat can aid in keeping the meat moist.

But the main difference in grass-fed beef is HEALTH! Wouldn't you rather provide some protein that's significantly higher in omega-3 fatty acids, more conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), has precursors for vitamin A and E and cancer-fighting antioxidants, and more likely to be free of hormones and antibiotics? Sign me up! Source

Video Tutorial How to Cook Grass-fed Steak in a Cast Iron Skillet

Tips for Cooking Grass-fed Steak in Cast Iron

resting grass fed steak how to cook grass-fed steak in cast iron

Keeping your grass-fed steak moist is key. Since grass-fed beef is leaner, we want to preserve as much moisture content as we can. To do this, think high heat to sear and lock in juices, and lower heat to finish cooking to desired doneness. I like to use my trusty cast iron. It's perfectly suited for just this kind of cooking!

  • Preheat cast iron skillet on Med to Med-High heat
  • Sear outside of grass-fed steak a couple minutes on each side, or until meat freely releases
  • Turn heat down to Med-Low and continue to cook steak to desired doneness
  • Use tongs, never forks! We want to preserve that precious moisture content, and piercing the meat only releases the juices. Sad day.

Here's some more helpful tips when cooking grass-fed beef:

courtesy American Grassfed Association

Instructions How To Cook Grass-fed Steak in a Cast Iron Skillet

  1. On the stovetop, preheat a 10-in. cast iron skillet on Med to Med-High heat. You know your stove best. On my stove, I use Med.
  2. When skillet is hot, place 2 TBS butter or preferred fat (think bacon grease, tallow, lard, coconut oil) in pan.
  3. Season grass-fed steak liberally with salt and pepper.
  4. Place seasoned-side down on skillet and sear for about 2 minutes. Season the top side of the steak liberally with salt and pepper. Turn steak over WITH TONGS to sear other side.
  5. Once second side has seared for about a minute, turn heat down to Med-Low and continue to cook steak to desired doneness. You can add additional seasoning at this time if desired, i.e. garlic and herbs.

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Here's where you can find a few of my favorite items in my kitchen:

10 in. cast iron skillet

Silicone handles for cast iron

Stainless steel tongs

Stainless steel spatula set—seriously, these are the greatest thing EVER! I love these!

Cutting board—this is similar, however mine is priceless (made for me by my bro-n-law)!

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Grass-fed steak searing in cast iron. Grass-fed steak. Make it right, make it great. Our Amyable Farmhouse.

Cooked steak resting. Steak searing. Sliced steak on wood cutting board. Cast iron grass-fed steak. How to cook moist and tender. Our Amyable Farmhouse.

Steak searing in a cast iron skillet. How to cook grass-fed steak in a cast iron skillet. Our Amyable Farmhouse.

What's your favorite steak?

Truth be told, I'm not a diehard fan of meat. I'm more of a carbs kinda gal. It's my nemesis, not my superpower for sure. But I must say, a good T-bone or Porterhouse prepared correctly is certainly tasty! I live with carnivores, however. The kind that's always saying, "Where's the beef?!" And they LOVE it when I slap some red meat on a hot skillet and sear it to perfection. Right now their favorite is T-bone. Man cub's is Porterhouse. Our butcher didn't give us the option of Porterhouse now that I think of it. Next time I'll be better prepared!